Auditor McGuiness Announces Creation of a National Unemployment Insurance Audit Template
DOVER, DEL. –State Auditor Kathy McGuiness today announced the creation of a national unemployment insurance audit template developed as part of a multi-agency effort. While some states have already begun audits related to unemployment insurance, this template seeks to serve as a framework so other states can easily identify issues and recommend best practices.
“Many states have already painted a detailed picture of the fraud that targeted their unemployment insurance system,” McGuiness said. “Our goal is to incite broader participation so as to paint an overarching picture of the vulnerabilities that exist in unemployment insurance systems throughout the country.”
Delaware collaborated with the Office of the D.C. Auditor, the D.C. Office of the Inspector General, the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office and the Idaho Legislative Audit Division to create this uniform framework.
“My office values collaboration with other state auditors on topics of ongoing importance and interest,” said D.C. Auditor Kathy Patterson. “The unemployment audit template is useful in focusing on relevant data and data accuracy, so it has value for future audits and even for offices not participating in this study today.”
When unemployment peaked at 14.8 percent in April 2020, unemployment insurance systems faced an overwhelming wave of claims. States struggled to keep up due to previous budget cuts and old, inefficient systems.
“The surge of claims resulted in vulnerabilities surfacing in each and every state’s unemployment insurance system,” McGuiness said. “Identifying and understanding existing vulnerabilities allows us to reduce fraud, waste and abuse and improve unemployment systems to better serve the public.”
Learn more about the Delaware Office of the Auditor of Accounts online at https://auditor.delaware.gov.
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Contact:
Anna Nuzzolese, Executive Assistant
302-857-3907